Combination fastening device



- July 19, 1949. c, OLSEN 2,476,506

COMBINATION FASTENING DEVICE Filed March '7, 1945 v 2 Shee'ts-Sheet l I N V EN TOR. 4/1 0546 C @1014 A 7 TOP/V15);

July 19, 1949. A. c. OLSEN 2,475,506

COMBINATION FASTENING DEVICE Filed March 7, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

Patented July 19, 1949 UNITED S TATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINATION FASTENING DEVICE Anders Olsen, Forest Hills, Y. Application March 7, 1945, saw No. 581,499

3 Claims.

r the erection of a plasteringbase or sheathing in the original construction or remodelling of building walls and ceilings; Among the objects of the present invention is to provide a no vel fastener or clip designed to be positively and-yieldingly engaged in a unique manner with a supporting memberof inexpensive construction whereby any type of covering material may be laidat random and securely fastened at points intermediate its edges to such a support, against which the'covering material bears. Another objectis to hold the covering material against structural supporting members under slightly yielding tension; thereby allowing for the stresses and strains induced by expansion and contraction or by'settling or) other movement of the building; A further object is to provide a more economical and durable means of attaching plasterin base or sheathing materialto' a support in the erection of low-cost buildings.

Further objects are to pr'ov'idabuilding construction ofthe foregoing type which may be erected with maximumsimplicity, efficiency and economy. -Other'features and advantages of'the invention will becomemore readily apparent in the following detailed description and accompanying drawing in which -Fig. 1 is afragmentary view, in perspective, of one form of supporting member embodying the present invention; j

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one form of fastener or clip designed, in accordance with the present invention, for locking engagement with a supporting member, such as illustrated in Fig. 1;

' Fig. 3 is an enlargedplanview of a supporting member and thesh'ank portion of a fastener illustrating an initial step ineffecting cooperative engagementtherebetween;

Fig. 4 is a view-similar to Fig. 3 illustrating a successive step in'theengagement'of a fastener? with a supporting-imember;

Fig. 5 illustrates-the" final -operative position in the fastening of a covering material to a structural supporting member; 1 a

Fig. 6. is a perspective view of another form 2 of fastener or clip embodyin the present invention;

7 of a. portion of a wall or ceiling erected in accordance with the present invention; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view, in perspective, of a double wall or partitionerected in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows one form of supporting member that may be used in the practice of the invention. In this form, the supporting member, indicated at I0, comprises a'strip of sheet metal or other material of suitable strengthand rigidity bent along its longitudinal median line, as indicated at l l, to provide spaced webs ['2 and I 3 extending in the same general direction from the bend and in substantially parallel planes.

The webs I2 and I3 terminate respectively in flanges l4 and I5 which are bent inwardly at similar acute angles with respect to their respective webs. As best shown in Fig. 3, the flanges M'and l5 terminate in close proximity to each other, as at I6, preferably at a point centrally between the opposing webs, thus forming a mouth portion therebetween having converging jaws H which are in resilient relation to one another so as to be adapted to be sprung open and then closed to engage the fasteners of the present invention, as will be more fully explained hereinafter. The thus formed structural supporting member lll may be strong and rigid enough and of any desiredwidth and length appropriate for use in anysuitable manner, for example, to serve as a non-reinforced, vertical stud in place of the usual channel member in the construction of walls, or as' aproperly suspended but non-reinforced runner in the construction of new or renovated ceilings.

In conjunction with a. supporting member formed, for example, like the above described member I 0, there is provided'a'suitable form of fastener or clip adapted to be locked in engagement with the supporting member. One such form of'the fastener or clip, generally designated by the reference numeral 20, is shown in Fig. 2 and comprises a substantially U-shaped member fabricated from a relatively narrow strip of sheet metal orother material of suitable strength and resiliency. As shown, the fastener or clip is composed of a narrow, elongated head 25 terminating in a shank portion which, in this embodimerit, comprises a pair of spaced parallel legs 22 and 23 extending in the same general direction substantially at right angles to the head and lying substantially in the same plane therewith.

The legs 22 and 23 each are provided with a plurality of suitably formed interruptions located between the head and their outer ends. In this instance; the interruptions are (of a serrated nature formed by a series of-spaced pairs of recesses 24. The opposing recesses 24 of each pair converge toward each other and are symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal axis of the leg. Each recess terminates in a laterally extending 4 One such alternative form of fastener is shown in Fig. 6 and generally designated by the reference numeral 50. In this embodiment, the fastener may comprise a substantially T-shaped member formed from sheet metal or other material of suitable strength and resiliency. As shown. the fastener consists of an elongated head or bearing portion 5| and a shank \portion 5 3 ex= tending substantially at right angles to the head andlying in a transversewplane located centrally with respetto the longitudinal-ends of the head portion.

shoulder 25 to complete the serrated formation. I

The legs each terminate in a point 25 shaped substantially like a spear-head and centrally located with respect to the lateral margins of the leg. I The manner in which .the above described-forms of supporting member-aha fastener embodying the present invention are designed to cooperate with each other iii seeuiely mounting plastering base or sheathing material in a plane substantially at rig t angles tothe plane of the supportmg member is clearly illustrated in Figs.,3 to 5. The shank portion or spear head pointed legs of the; fasteners pr clips will readily pierce an imperi rate material, such as ypsum or fibre i sulati'dii heard, or be readily inserted throu h open, rigs in .a reti'ulated type of material, such as expanded etal lath, that may com- A s or sheathing. For any thickness of any such material, the shank rti'o'h or legs will be bf siifiicient length to proct from the inner use thereof a distance sufto present a number of the spaced pairs of shoulders, baibs for saw-teeth on each of the legs. the case (if a ,reiauvei thick, imperior'at'e sheet, for ramme, a gypsum or fibre insulati'on bdard s'uch as is indieat ed at 49, the legs 22 and 23 'of the fastener or clip 25, when driven through the material, will extend beyond the inn'er face 4'! thereof and the head or bearing porti '2! (if the fastener will be positioned substantially flush with the outer face 112 of the material. it, the a time 'of my invention, the legs of a clip 26) are directed into the converging jaws I! Q? the mouth Dqffib b th s pp t member it, as shown mp1s. 3. as the spear-headed ends 26 Of the legs 22 and :23 rirltact the resiliently si lafied converging l1 and are directed inwardly toward the constricted throat of the 11th at I 6. the diverging sides of the spearhead ends 26 force the jaws apart until the mouth throat of 'the substrate member is sprung open ,sufiiei'ently to permit the widest portion of th legs at 'thefshouldei's '25'to'pas-s therethrough. T us, the resiliently spaced jaws and their respective webs I 2 and is are placed under tension, as illustrated "in Fig. 4. When the first pair of shoulders 25 on each Ie"g .cl'eai' s the ends of the jaws II, this tension is relieved and the jaws tend to resume their normal, unsprung relation, whereupon 'tfhe'y slide ihto closing position in the recesses 24 behind the shduld'ers '25. This process may be repeated, (if .c'durse, until the fastener shank portion is locked in flied position between the opposing webs "of the supporting member at any selected point along the length of the shank. In lieu of the Iastene clip having the form above described, 0th 1' forms of fasteners may be provided for use s ilarly in conjunction with The head portion 5| may comprise oppositely directed co-planar wings 52 and 53 formed by splitting or dividing the head portion into strips .of equal width and then bending these strips in opposite directions at right angles to the shank portion 54. Instead of thus providing a T-sha-ped fastenenwthe splitting or dividing of the head portion into separable wings may be omitted, whereby the head portion will extend entirely in one direction relative .to the shank, thus forming ant-shaped fastener.

The shank 54 is provided with a plurality of spaced interruptions :55 between the head portion ii and the outer end 55 thereof. These interrup tions may take the form of double rows of spaced lugs, one row being struck or punchedoutof one side of the shank portion and the other row being similarly struck or punched out of the opposite side of the shank portion, as bestshown in Fig. 7,

or they may be in the form of bosses, detents or other suitable types of spaced .protuberances or projections. In anycase, projecting interruptions are provided extending from both sides of the shank portion of the fastener for resilient locking engagement with the jaw or jaws of a supporting member at selected points along the shank, when the fastener is engaged with the supporting member in the attachmentof covering materialthereto, as previously described in connection with .the U.-sha'ped fastener 21].

The extent to which the shank portion or portions of each of a plurality of fasteners or clips 2G or .50 must be inserted into and through the mouth of one of a number of spaced supporting members III] is determined by the thickness of the covering material that must be accommodated for secure attachment to the supporting members. The process or engaging each fastener within the mouth of a supple fig member is repeated until auesired'nurnber oi the fasteners are spaced at desired intervals along the length of each of the spaced supporting members to which each section of the covering material is to be secured. The

resultant cooperativeinterlocking of the converg ing jaws I] with .apair of shoulders or barbs -25 on ea'ch hi the fastener legs, in the case of the fastener 20, "or with a pair of opposing lugs .56

on the shank 54, in the case of the fastener 50, effectively prevents the accidental withdrawal or release of either of these types of fasteners from their fiire'd'pos'ition with respect to the supporting member.

I One advantage of providing for the shank portion or the fasteners or clipsto be inserted any required distance within the supporting member necessary to accommodate thethickness of the plastering base or sheathing -material beingfattaehe'd thereto is that plastering base or sheathing materials of widely varying thicknesses may be accommodated by fasteners having shank :portions of one standard dimension.

An additional advantage in the cooperative "suppo ting 'h iffl as the member -I. 7. engagement thu s aif;ordedbetween the structural tion is--.that the inherent resiliency of the web portions of the supporting members permits a floating attachment of the covering material thereto, even though the fasteners are, securely engaged with the converging jaws of the mouth portions thereof. For example, when the combination fastening device of my invention is utilized for mounting a plastering base in the erection of a wall or ceiling, this floating feature will efiectively compensate for any stresses and strains caused by expansion or contraction forces or by settling or other movement of the building, thus materially reducing or entirely eliminating the unsightly cracks that may otherwise appear in the outer plaster coating of the finished construction.

In the erection of a wall, for example, the supporting members In serving as studs are positioned extending from the floor to the ceiling and spaced apart say 16 inches on center. As shown in Fig. 9, a section of the plastering base or sheathing material to may then be laid across a number of the spaced studs and manually held thereagainst until securely attached thereto by using a number of either form of the fastener or clip previously described. Each of the fasteners, in turn, is driven through the covering material and the shank portion of each, emergin from the inner face 4| of the covering material, is engaged with the subjacent stud, as already fully described. It is a comparatively easy matter to properly apply each of the fasteners so that the shank thereof will be in alignment with the mouth of the stud. A plurality of these fasteners may be spaced apart a distance sufficient to securely mount the covering material on the subjacent structural support. It Will thus be seen that the fasteners or clips may be rapidly driven into place and engaged with the supporting members with a maximum of accuracy and a minimum of effort so that the covering material may be erected economically and efiiciently.

In the case of double wall or partition construction, successive studs I0 may be reversed with respect to each other so that the covering material may be laid up on opposite sides and securely attached to the intermediate studs comprising the structural support therebetween. With this type of construction, the attachment of the covering material to the supporting studs spaced 16" apart will occur along each side at horizontally spaced intervals of approximately 32". In order to provide a somewhat stronger double-wall construction wherein the attachment of the covering material to the intermediate studs will occur at horizontally spaced intervals of only 16" along each side, as may be desired in certain instances, I may use the form of supportin member shown in Fig. 8. This supporting member, generally designated by the reference numeral 60, is substantially S-shaped in cross section and may be formed from sheet metal or other material of suitable strength and resiliency which is return-bent, as at SI and 62, to provide spaced Webs 63, 64 and 65. The webs B3 and 65 lie in substantially parallel planes and extend for equal distances but in opposite directions to one another. The intermediate web 64 lies in a plane which forms acute angles with the substantially parallel planes of the webs 63, 65.

The webs 63 and 65 terminate respectively, at their free ends, in flanges 66 and 61 which are bent inwardly at a similar acute angle with respect to their respective webs. Both flanges 66 and G'I'terminate in'cl'ose proximityto the web 64," but on opposite sides th'ereoflthus forming along each margin of the member 60 a mouth tions isadaptedto be sprung open and'then closed to engage the fasteners of the present invention in the manner already fully described;

Any one -of-the's'everal forms of fasteners set forth above maybe used with equal facility in the attachment of suitable covering material to the spaced supporting members 60 utilized,'j.as in Fig. 10, in the erection of a double-wall type of construction.

The constructions illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 may be completed either by applyin the usual coats of plaster to the erected plaster base or by applying any desired type of covering t0 the erected sheathing.

The terms plastering base and sheathing" as used herein are intended to cover any type whatsoever of covering material suitable either for the reception of a coating of plaster or for the application thereover of wallpaper, interior panelling or exterior siding, and may include materials such as expanded metal lath, paperbacked wire lath and perforate or imperforate boards or panels having a fibrous or cementitious core. Inasmuch as the combined fastening means of the present invention may be used in connection with different types of plastering base or sheathing material of widely varying thicknesses, it will be understood that the dimensions of the hollow structural supporting members and of the fasteners or clips may be varied accordingly to accommodate such different thicknesses or different modes of application.

I claim:

1. In the combination of spaced tubular supporting studs having resilient jaws and a plastering base secured to said studs by fasteners adapted to be gripped within said jaws, the improvement comprising fasteners each made of flat sheet material and comprising a head and a pair of spaced legs located substantially in the same vertical plane, said legs being serrated between said head and their outer ends for resilient locking engagement within said jaws, the shoulder surfaces of the serrations being disposed substantially at right angles to the vertical plane in which the legs are disposed.

2. In the combination of spaced tubular supporting studs having resilient jaws and a plastering base secured to said studs by fasteners adapted to be gripped within said jaws, the improvement comprising fasteners each made of fiat sheet material and comprising a U-shaped member having the legs thereof pointed at their free ends and serrated along a portion of their lengths for resilient locking engagement with said jaws, the legs of said U-shaped member being disposed substantially in a vertical plane and the shoulder surfaces of the serrations being disposed substantially at right angles to the vertical plane in which the legs are disposed.

3. In combination, studs to support a plastering base or the like, each of said studs comprising spaced webs integrally joined together by an intermediate web, said webs terminating at their free ends in inwardly bent flanges forming resilient jaws along the margins thereof, a plurality of fasteners adapted for spaced engagement with said studs for securing said plastering base or the like thereto, said fasteners each comprising a U-shaped member having the legs thereof ZAFQJOB REFERENCES CITED "The following referencesare of reeorii in the me of this patent: r

8 UNITED STATES PATIENTS Number Name Date Maher June 30, 1931 Venzie 1 Nov. 13, 1934 Jackson Nov. 5-, 1935 Venzie -Q. Sept. 29, 1936 Parsons Nov. 3, 1936 Pan Konin Mar. 15, 1938 Benz Mar. 3, 1942 

